˚ ₊ ★ ❝ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 ❞  ˖⋆࿐໋ ⋆ ☔︎

˗ˏˋ 𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗿 ˎˊ˗

***

━━━ "WOW—" CLINT MESMERIZED AS HE and Natasha made their way over to the lone tall mountain, gazing upon the colorful sky of the foreign planet. "Under different circumstances, this would be totally awesome.

     "I bet the raccoon didn't have to climb a mountain," Natasha mused.

     "Technically, he's not a raccoon, you know." Clint pointed out.

     "Whatever," Natasha scoffed. "He eats garbage."

     "Welcome." The voice of Red Skull echoed.

     Natasha and Clint drew their weapons.

     "Natasha, daughter of Ivan. Clint, son of Edith." Red Skull said.

     "Who are you?" demanded Natasha.

     "Consider me a guide." answered the being. "To you, and to all who seek the Soul Stone."

     "Oh, good. You tell us where it is. Then we'll be on our way." Natasha said.

     "Ah, liebchen—If only it were that easy." Red Skull mused as he lead Clint and Natasha to the cliff. "What you seek lies in front of you... as does what you fear."

     "The stone is down there," Natasha guessed.

     "For one of you. For the other... In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul, for a soul."

***

     Sitting on a log while Clint watched the Stonekeeper, Natasha knew what she had to do.

     All her life she had known herself as the bad guy... then she finally got a chance to prove that she could be the hero... but she still saw herself as the villain—someone who still had no one.

     The Avengers were all she had.

     If she had to sacrifice herself to save all she had, she was going to do it.

     And she didn't want to be the one to tell the Barton's that their father was gone...

     "How's it going? Jesus... Maybe he's making this shit up," said Clint.

     "No. I don't think so," Natasha differed.

     "Why, 'cause he knows your Daddy's name?" asked Clint.

     "I didn't," Natasha said. "Thanos left here with the stone without his daughter. It's not a coincidence."

     "Yeah."

     "Whatever it takes." said Nat.

     "Whatever it takes." Clint repeated.

     "If we don't get that stone, billions of people stay dead." Natasha pointed out, standing up.

     "Then I guess we both know who it's gotta be." said Clint.

     "I guess we do..."

     Clint grasped Natasha's hand and she reciprocated, and they look at each other. Both knew that one of them was not going to make it off this planet, as they were holding onto each other saying their final goodbyes.

     Two best friends... brought together in Budapest... the place where their ever close friendship blossomed. Clint saw something in the woman whom he was ordered to kill. And here they stood... on the edge of a mountain... one of them to leave the other behind for good.

     "I'm starting to think—we mean different people here, Natasha."

     "For the last five years I've been trying to do one thing: Get to right here. That's all it's been about. Bringing everybody back," Nat pointed out.

     "Oh, don't you get all decent on me now," Clint said.

     "What, you think I wanna do it? I'm trying to save your life, you idiot."

     "Yeah, well, I don't want you to, because I—Natasha, you know what I've done. You know what I've become." Clint shuddered thinking about how he went mad—rogue, killing those whom he didn't believe should have survived the snap.

     "I don't judge people on their worst mistakes," Natasha differed.

     "Maybe you should."

     "You didn't." Natasha said referring Budapest.

     "You're a pain in my ass, you know that?" said Clint as the two friends leaned their foreheads against one another.

     Clint smiled. "Okay. You win."

     Within a matter of milliseconds, Natasha was knocked to the ground.

     "Tell my family I love them." Clint told his friend.

     But before Clint could jump, Natasha tackled him to the ground.

     "You tell them yourself," she said before electrocuting Clint and running towards the cliff.

     Clint staggered himself before getting up and shooting an explosive arrow knocking her down.

     Clint then ran towards the cliff and jumped.

     But before he could get anywhere, Natasha jumped after him and hooked him up to a grappling hook.

     "Damn you!" Clint cursed as he held onto his friend's hand as if it were the last thing he would ever do.

"Let me go," she said softly, accepting fate.

     "No," Clint refused, struggling to hold onto her. "Please no."

     Nat nodded lightly. "It's okay," she whispered.

     "Please," Clint desperately pleaded.

     But his prayers weren't to be answered as Natasha's foot pushed off of the cliff, breaking away from Clint's hand.

     "NO!!!"

     And Clint sat there hanging from the rope from which he was dangling from as he watched his best friend fall to her death.

***

     Sitting in a lone large pool of water is Clint with the Soul Stone in his possession.

     The price of a soul...

     His Quantum Suit then activated, skrinking him and sending him back to the present day.

     Standing on the Quantum platform, Clint felt helpless as he stood alone without Natasha.

     "Did we get them all?" asked Bruce.

     "You telling me this'll actually work?" said Rhodey.

     But the odd feeling that someone was missing began to sink in.

     "Clint, where's Nat?" asked Bruce.

     It was her sacrifice, and she did it for the better of the world. But she was gone, and the Avengers were heartbroken at the loss of their dear friend.

( Author's Note )

Haha I cried while writing this...